Electric toaster construction



United States Patent lnventor James A. Ottinger Allentown, Pennsylvania Appl. No. 789,246

Filed Jan. 6, 1969 Patented Sept. 22, 1970 Assignee General Electric Company a corporation ol New York ELECTRIC TOASTER CONSTRUCTION 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 99/389, 99/401, 2 l9/52 l 219/537, 219/542 Int. Cl A47j 37/08, H05b 3/06 Field of Search 99/385-9,

400` 391, 329; 2l9/542, 52|, 537; 248/27, 309, 361; i74/50.54, 52, 35.5, 54, 58; 29/l93.5

l1ll3,529,538

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,522,724 9/1950 Scharf 99/389X 2,725,816 12/ l 955 Hollister 99/401 2,778,912 1/1957 Palmer et al... 99/389X 3,002,075 9/1961 Visos 99/389X 3,363,089 l/l 968 Snyder 2l 9/537 Primary Examiner-Volodymyr Y. Mayewsky Attorneys-Lawrence R. Kempton, Leonard J. Platt, .lohn F. Cullen, Frank L. Neuhauser, Oscar B. Waddell and Melvin M. Goldenberg ABSTRACT: An electric toaster construction wherein a heater card having an electric resistance wire wound thereon is provided with a plurality of notches and tabs so that the heater card may be attached to a wire bread guard without the use of separate fastening hardware.

Sheet 1 Inventorf dames Q. Otm'nger ttomeg Patented Sept. 22, 1970 "Nimh N.

Patented Sept. 22, 1970 Sheet 2 of 3 nvenor dames Ottnger e5 (Attorney Patented sept. 22, 1970 3,529,538

, Im/Qntorf dames Q. Ottnger' Qttomqy ELECTRIC TOASTER CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an electric toaster, and more particularly, to an improved compact, easily manufactured construction arrangement for an electric toaster.

Electric pop-up style toasters conventionally include sheet metal frames and casings for supporting bread guards, heater wires, toaster carriages and other components of the toaster. While these components have been constructed, sub-assembled and assembled in a number of different ways, it is especially desirable that they be sturdily constructed and securely assembled in an electric toaster. It is also desirable to provide an electric toaster which may be manufactured at relatively low cost. It is most important therefore to reduce to a minimum the number of parts required, the number of manufacturing operations to be performed on each part, and the number of operations required to assemble the parts to each i other.

In a co-p'ending application of Paul Snyder (6D-3800) Ser. No. 789,245, filed January 6, 1969, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, there is disclosed an electric FIG. 3 is a bottom and side perspective view of the unique heater frame sub-assembly shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the heater frame sub-assembly taken substantially on the plane 4--4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bread guard and electric resistance wire heater card showing the heater card being attached to the bread guard.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREF ERREDYEMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing and first particularly to FIG. I, there is shown an electric toaster 2-which includes an inner supporting structure 3, an outer cover 4v and spaced generally vertical end walls 6 and 8. Bread receiving slots l0 and l2 are formed in a top wall I4 of the outer casing.

Toasting chambers 16 and I7 are generally defined by op-v posed bread guard and heater card sub-assemblies l8-l9 and 20-2l, respectively, which guide and toast slices of bread or other food.

toaster construction wherein a rigid base plate is provided with a plurality of slots and two relatively flexible heater frame assemblies are provided with a plurality of downwardly extending latch tabs so that the heater frame assembly may be quickly and securely connected to the base plate by snapping the tabs on the heater frame into the slots on the base plate. As shown in the co-pending application, wire bread guards are fixed to the heater frame assemblies. My invention is con` cerned with the wire bread guards and an insulated heater card on which electric resistance wires are wound.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved low cost construction for an electric toaster having a minimum number of parts which may be easily manufactured and assembled to each other. It is a particular object "of the invention to provide a bread guard and an electric' heater card which may be readily assembled to each other without the use of separate fastening devices.

To accomplish these objects in one form, l have provided a bread guard constructed of a plurality of wires. The bread guard includes top and bottom generally horizontal wires and a plurality of generally parallel vertical wires fixed at their opposite ends to the top and bottom horizontal wires. A heater -i card comprises a flat piece of insulating material having an electric resistance wire wound thereon. When the heater card is stamped during manufacturing, a plurality of notches and projections are formed at the top and bottom portions of the heater card. With this construction, the lower portion of the heater card may be positioned on the bread guard with portions of the vertical wires positioned in the notches of the or forming of tabs with tools. The entire construction is made by utilizing the relatively rigid characteristics of the heater card and the spring characteristics of the bread guard.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which: f

F IG. l is a perspective view of an electric toaster construction embodying the invention partly broken away 'to show details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electric toaster shown in FIG. 1 with the outer casing removed to.` show construction details;

As shown in FIG. l, a bread carrier 22 is movable vertically in the toasting chamber by means of an actuator lever 24, as is conventional in pop-up" style toasters. lt is to be understood that any of several conventional actuating and timing means may be used to actuate the bread carrier 22.

A relatively rigid base plate 26 is provided for supporting one, two, thneepr more heater framel modules, and as shown in FIG. 2, the base plate 26 supports two heater frame modules 28 and 30. The base plate is preferably formed as a casting of aluminum or other suitable metal.

Referring now. to FIG. 2, there is shown a top perspective view of the base plate casting 26. As illustrated, the base plate .26 includes a raised central portion 32 for supporting the heater frame modules 28 and 30. The raised central portion includes two side walls 34 and 36 having upper surfaces 38 and 40, respectively, upon which the heater frame modules 28 and 30 may be positioned. The rigid cast base plate 26 also includes integrally formed front and rear walls 42 and 44 for also supporting portions of the heater frame modules.

A centrally positioned raised portion 46 divides the raised central portion into two enlarged openings 48 and 50. Conventionally, the enlarged openings 48 and 50 permit bread crumbs and other material to drop below the toasting chambers.

As shown in FIG. 2, four pairs of slots 54-`56 are provided for connecting the heater frame modules 28 and 30 to the base plate 26.

As shownmore particularly in FIG. 3, each of the heater frames 28 and 30 includes a top wall 58 and integrally formed depending side walls 60 and 62. The frames are preferably formed of sheet metal or other suitable flexible material which may be readily bent and formed to the desired shape. The heater frame sub-assembly 28 and 30 also uniquely and conveniently support a wire bread guard 64 and an electric resistance wire heater card 66 for positioning and toasting a slice of bread or other food.

In accordance with my invention, the wire bread guard 64 includes a top and a bottom generally horizontal wire 68 and 70 respectively. As shown more particularly in FIG. S, a plurality of generally parallel vertical wires 72, 74. 76 and 78 are fixed at their opposite ends to the top and bottom vertical wires 68 and 70.

In order to hold the toast the required distance from the electrical resistance heater wires on heater card 66, the major portion of the generally vertical wires 72, 74, 76 and 78 are offset from the top and bottom end portions 72', 72", 74', 74", 76 76", 78' and 78" of the generally parallel vertical wires 72, 74,176 and 78, respectively.l As shown in FIG. 5, to achieve this, the end portions are bent at an angle of approximately to the major portion of the vertical wires 72-78. With this construction, a piece of toast would be guided ap proximately is' from the electric resistance wires 80.

The flat electric insulating heater card 66 may be formed of sheet mica or other suitable insulating material, and as illustrated in FIG. 5, suitable notches 82 are formed at the opposite edges of the heater card for enabling the resistance wire u 82 to be easily wound on the card.

ln order to provide means for connecting the heater card to the bread guard, the heater card 66 is uniquely shaped during a stamping operation. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of connecting notches 86, 88, 90 and 92 are formed in the lower portion of the heater card for providing corresponding downwardly extending connecting tabs 94, 96 and 98. In like manner, notches 100, 102, 104 and 106 are formed in the upper portion of the heater card 66 for forming corresponding tabs 106. 108 and 110. With this construction, the heater card 66 may be readily attached to the bread guard 68 by simply inserting the end portions 72", 74". 76" and 78" of the vertical wires into notches 86, 88, 90 and 92. Then, the upper horizontal wire 68, is pulled upwardly, thereby bending the bread guard against the spring tension of the wires forming the guard and upon release of the upper horizontal wire 68, the spring tension of the bread guard forces the end portions 72', 74', 76' and '78' of the bread guard into upper notches 100, 102, 104 and 106 respectively.

The upper and lower horizontal wires 68 and 70 may also be uniquely shaped to prevent the heater card 66 from moving along the wire end portions 72', 72", 74', 74", 76', 76". 78' and 78". As shown more particularly in F1G.5, acentral portion 68' of the top generally horizontal wire is offset from the end portions 68"'of the top generally horizontal wire. With this construction, the central upwardly extending tab 76 on the heater card maybe positioned on one side of the top horizontal wire 68 while the other upwardly extending projections 106 and 110 are positioned on the other side of the generally horizontal wire 68. lnl like manner, the lower horizontal wire 70 may include a central offset portion 70' l(best 'seen'in FIG. 4) positioned on one side of the heater card 66f,`and yend portions 70" positioned onthe other side of the heater card 66. Naturally, when assembling the heater card 66 to the bread guard wires 64, the vertical wires 72, 74, .'76 and 78 are inserted in the appropriate notches, and the tabs of thev heaterl card are inserted on the appropriate sides of the horizontal bread guard wires 68 and 70 in a simple single assembly operation. v

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that my improved electric toaster construction includes a minimum number of relatively easily manufactured sub-assemblies. The heater card may be stamped in a single operation to provide the notches 82 for supporting the electric resistance wire 80, the notches 86, 88, 90, 92, 100, 102, 104,

and 106, and tabs 94, 96, 98, 106, 108 and 110. Likewise, the offset bendsin the vertical wires 72, 74, 76, 78 land the horizontal wires`68 and 70, are all formed in simple `bending operations. With this construction, all of the parts used for connecting the heater card 66 to the bread guard 64 are integrally formed on" the parts themselves. The assembly does not require any twisting or forming of tabs with tools; no separate screws, nuts, bolts or rivets are required, and the entire-construction is made by utilizing the flexible and rigid characteristics of theuniquely shaped and formed bread guard wires 64 and heater card 66.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that my improved electric toaster construction includes a minimum number of rela- `sturdily constructed toaster has been achieved;l j

.Iclaimxf 1.An electric toaster construction comprising:`

a. a bread guard including a top and a bottom generally horizontal wire and a plurality of generally parallel vertical wires i'ixed at their lopposite ends to said top and bottom horizontal wires;

b. a heater card comprising a flat piece of insulating material having an electric resistance wire for toasting fixed thereto, the top, bottom, and vertical wires of the bread guard being s aced from the electric wire; l l c. a plurality o notches formed in the lower portion of said heater card for providing a plurality of downwardly extending tabs at the lower portion of said heater card;

d. a plurality of notches formed in the upperpoi-'tion of said heater card for providing afplurality of upwardly extending projections at the upper portion of said heater card;

. the lower portions of said generally vertical wires extending into the notches formed at the lower portion of said heater card and the upper portions of said generally vertical`wires extending into the notches formed at the upper portion of said heater card for holding said card in assem- I bled portion with respect to said bread guard; and

f. a toasting chamber and securing means for mounting the bread guard and heater card in said toaster so that the electric resistance wire on the heater card is positioned to transmit heat to the toasting chamber. l2.' An electric toaster construction as defined in claim l between adjacent vertical wires and the downwardly extend- .ing projections are positioned between adjacent vertical wires.

3. An electric toaster'construction as defined in claim 1 whereimthe central portion of one of said generally horizontal wires is offset-from the end portions of said one of said generally horizontal wires so that a central upwardly extending projection on said heater card is positioned on one side of said generally horizontal wire and other upwardly extending projections on said heater card are positioned on the other side of said generally horizontal wire.

4. An electric toaster construction comprising:

a. a bread guard including a top and a bottom generally horizontal wire and a plurality of generally parallel vertical wires xed at their opposite ends to said top and bottom horizontal wires, said generally parallel wires being offset from the generally parallel top and bottom horizontal wires; l

b. a heater card comprising a flat piece of insulating material having an electric resistance wire for toasting fixed thereto, the top, bottom, and vertical wires of the bread guard being spaced from the electric wire;

c. a plurality of notches formed in the lower portion of said heater card for providing a plurality of downwardly extending tabs at the lower portion of said heater card;

. a plurality of notches formed in the lower portion of said heater card for providing a plurality of upwardly extending projections at the upper portion of said heater card;

f. a toasting chamber and securing means for mounting the bread guard and heater card in said toaster so that the electric resistance wire on the heater card is positioned to transmit heat to the toasting chamber.

. the lower portions of said generally vertical wires extend-v 

